Spot-fixing

Spot-fixing refers to illegal activity in a sport in which a specific aspect of a game, unrelated to the final result but upon which a betting market exists, is fixed in an attempt to ensure a certain result in a proposition bet; examples include something as minor as timing a no ball or wide delivery in cricket, or timing the first throw-in or corner in association football.

Spot-fixing attempts to defraud bookmakers by a player taking a pre-arranged action to fix the result of that specific event. Spot-fixing differs from match fixing, in which the final result of a match is fixed; or point shaving, in which corrupt players (or officials) attempt to limit the margin of victory of the favoured team. Spot-fixing is more difficult to detect than match fixing or point shaving, and by its nature can be perpetrated by a lone fraudulent player without needing any other players or officials to co-operate. The growth of internet gambling and increased variety of betting options (e.g. spread betting, first-scorer betting) resulted in the emergence of spot-fixing, particularly through the first decade of the 2000s.

Following his retirement, Matt Le Tissier admitted that he had bet on the timing of the first throw-in in a match he played for Southampton against Wimbledon in 1995. The plan failed when a team mate who was unaware of the scam managed to keep his underhit pass on the pitch. Le Tissier was forced to quickly kick the ball from play to prevent himself losing money on the bet but neither won nor lost money after managing to kick the ball out after 70 seconds. He stated that he felt so silly about the incident that he never attempted it again.

Spot fixing in cricket first came to international prominence in the 2010 Pakistan tour of England, when it was determined that Pakistani players Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir intentionally bowled no-balls on specific deliveries as part of a conspiracy involving captain Salman Butt to defraud bookmakers. As a result, Salman Butt was banned for ten years, Asif for seven years and Amir for five years. The matter became a criminal investigation that resulted in custodial sentences for four people involved; in November 2011, Butt was sentenced to 30 months' imprisonment, with Asif being imprisoned for one year and Amir jailed for six months.

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